Speaking at the NFL Owners Meetings Sunday, coach Mike McCarthy praised Jermichael Finley's second-half 2012 improvement and said the Packers plan to simplify Finley's role in 2013.

"Less volume and more creativity," said McCarthy in reference to playcalling. "... I really think the bye week he had an opportunity to step away and change some things. He was a different guy. He was focused and productive in the second half of the season." Following the bye, Finley secured 37-of-49 targets for 441 yards and a touchdown. The catch rate was a rock-solid 75.5 percent.

Jermichael Finley's camp is "sitting on pins and needles" as the Packers continue contract negotiations with free agent Greg Jennings.

The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel confirms there's a "good chance" the Packers would ask Finley to take a pay cut or release him if they re-signed Jennings. Finley is nervous because NFL cap money is being spent left and right, and his market could be weak if he didn't hit free agency for another week, or maybe more. The Packers don't owe Finley a dime until his March 27 $3 million roster bonus.

The agent for Jermichael Finley said he'd at least listen if the Packers asked his client to take a pay cut.

"Multiple sources connected to the team" tell the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel that they would be "surprised" if Jermichael Finley isn't back with the Packers in 2013.

Finley's future in Green Bay has been swirling in the wind all offseason. Once the season ended, coach Mike McCarthy praised his tight end for his play after the bye week, but recently the organization has been "torn" on the matter while Finley has said he's not willing to take a pay cut. We'll know his immediate future by March 27, when a $3 million roster bonus is due.

Jermichael Finley said he is not willing to take a pay cut in order to stay with the Packers.

Finley is entering the second year of a two-year, $14 million deal. As it stands now, his total compensation in 2013 is $8.25 million. "I'd have to walk for sure, meaning I couldn't take a pay cut," he said. "Maybe I'd restructure if it's a deal that I like and it makes sense, but I'm not the guy that's just going to sign anything and let anything pass. I'm not that guy." Finley said he's "barely" talked to the Packers since the season ended and has no idea what their plans are for him. The tight end's $3 million roster bonus isn't due until March 27.

The Chicago Tribune expects the Bears to be "in line" if Jermichael Finley is released by the Packers.

Beat writer Vaughn McClure "hears" the Bears and Finley are viewed as a "great fit." The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel's Bob McGinn made the same allusion in his Monday article on Finley's future with Green Bay. The Pack would certainly prefer to keep Finley out of the NFC North if they decide to part ways, but won't have any say in where he goes if he's released instead of traded.

The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports the Packers' organization is "torn" on whether to retain Jermichael Finley for 2013.

The coaching staff and GM Ted Thompson favor keeping Finley, while "members of the personnel department" want him released. If the Packers did cut Finley, they could retain free agent Greg Jennings via the franchise tag. Meanwhile, extensions for Aaron Rodgers and Clay Matthews loom. Finley's 2013 cap number ($8.75 million) is slated to rank second to only Rodgers ($9.75 million) on the team.

After listening to coach Mike McCarthy's Combine presser, ESPN Milwaukee's Jason Wilde believes it's "almost impossible" to imagine the Packers parting ways with Jermichael Finley this offseason.

Finley underachieved (again) in 2012 and is owed a $3.5 million roster bonus next month, but it sounds like the Packers plan to pay it. "In the second half (of the season), I thought things started clicking and he looked like his old self," said McCarthy of Finley. "I was very pleased with the way he finished the year. ... When you look at Jermichael and you ... talk to any of the defensive guys that played against him, he's a matchup challenge for defenses."

Jermichael Finley puts his chances of remaining in Green Bay at "50/50."

"I would love to stay there," Finley said. "There's no doubt that I want to be there for life. But it's a business and the business will tell you otherwise." CBS' Jason La Canfora has reported Finley is not expected back with the Pack, but a league source tells the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel it's a "coin flip." The Green Bay Press-Gazette guessed in January that Finley would "almost certainly" be back. Finley is due a steep $8.25 million between salary and bonuses, but "50/50" seems an appropriate guess.

League sources tell CBS' Jason La Canfora that Jermichael Finley is not expected to be with the Packers next season.

Finley is owed a $3.5 million roster bonus in March in addition to his $4.45 million in 2013 base salary. Coming off a season in which he caught just 61 passes and two touchdowns in 16 games, we could certainly see the Pack moving on. However, some local reports have Finley sticking thanks to a mini-resurgence late in the season. Expect the Packers to hold off as long as possible on a decision here, in part so they can evaluate the health of potential replacement Andrew Quarless (torn ACL).